Baccalaureate Experience

The University prides itself in providing a broad foundation in the liberal arts and sciences to all undergraduate students. This esteemed tradition provides the intellectual capacities necessary to develop an inquisitive nature about the natural world and our common humanity, as well as succeed in a career and society.

The paradigms of this educational tradition are embodied in the goals of the Baccalaureate Experience. These goals include teaching students to:

Communicate effectively

Examine issues rationally

Demonstrate a proficiency in the use of computers across fields of learning

Understand the foundations of science

Demonstrate proficiency in mathematics

Synthesize a variety of disciplinary perspectives

Exhibit aesthetic awareness

Identify and defend personal values

Understand both the commonalities and the diversity of human social existence

For many people, the most rewarding career paths require honed academic skills including analytical and systemic thinking, sophisticated communication, intellectual collaboration, working in diverse settings, and problem solving skills. The undergraduate degree programs are designed to provide students with numerous opportunities to develop these skills.

An education beyond the experiences that high school offers is very important in modern society and in the global community. According to the American Association of Colleges and Universities, “College will be in the twenty-first century what high school became in the twentieth... Most jobs in the workplace and most issues in our national civic life now require the intellectual skills associated with a college education.”

The Program

The Baccalaureate Experience represents a commitment to the intellectual and personal growth of every undergraduate. Students are enrolled in a first-year experience program that begins their intellectual journey and assists each student in adjusting to and thriving in a University environment. The First-Year Experience program includes:

BAC 100: Baccalaureate Digital Skills

BAC 101/102: First-Year Seminar I and II

HON 101/102: Honor Seminar I and II

BAC 103: Transfer Student Seminar

BAC 104: Military Veteran Seminar

BAC 105: Spartans Abroad Seminar

Students can select a major, and any minors of interest, that will become the focus of their studies. The Baccalaureate Experience ensures that their education will include a breadth of courses, in addition to the courses required for their major. All students, both first-year and transfer, must satisfy course requirements in the humanities, social sciences and sciences as well as course work that develops their writing abilities and exposes them to the arts and non-western cultures. These aspects of the program represent the core curriculum of the Baccalaureate Experience.